


Swimming Lessons

by lannisterslioness



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannisterslioness/pseuds/lannisterslioness
Summary: Rey lived on Jakku almost her entire life, swimming wasn't exactly a useful skill she needed to know. Now that she's studying the ways of the Force on Ahch-To, swimming would be a more than useful skill to know. While her and Luke are visiting D'Qar, Rey plans to learn how to swim, and gets some unexpected help from a certain rebel pilot.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I've had this prompt since February of last year, FEBRUARY! Just call me the Queen of Procrastination. It was a prompt from an anon over on tumblr, so anon if you're out there somewhere, I finally did get to writing this, and hopefully it was worth the wait, I'd like to think my writing has vastly improved in almost a year's time. I've been on a writing kick the past two days either way, just knocking things out left and right, I don't know where this motivation came from, but thank the Force that it finally did. <3

    Rey wasn’t afraid of water, she loved it actually, it was something cool and refreshing that reminded her she wasn’t stuck on Jakku anymore. The ocean, however, was a completely different story - it was vast and deep, something a person could get lost in and never be found. She had tried to rationalize to herself that it was like the Sinking Fields, they were just as vast and probably just as deep, something that consumed things, never to be found again by man; honestly, she should have been more terrified of the Sinking Fields than the oceans, you couldn’t swim your way out of them. 

 

    After training with Luke for a while, and returning to the base with him for just a few weeks before resuming her training again, Rey realized learning to swim would be quite useful - considering the island where she trained with Luke was, well, an island, and surrounded by water for miles on end. While she knew it would be more than beneficial to learn this certain skill, she was embarrassed to really ask anyone to help her, it was something that kids learned through their parents teaching them, and she was anything but a child anymore. On one of their last days at the Rebel base, Rey decided to try and teach herself how to swim, finding a nearby lake that seemed secluded where no one would be able to see her trying to learn something so simple and more than likely failing at it. 

 

    Once she was there, she hid behind one of the trees, stripping down to her underclothes and letting her hair down. She had just started to make her way to the lake when she froze at the realization that someone else was in the lake - someone very familiar to her who made her cheeks flush three shades of red at the realization that he was seeing her almost completely naked. Rey wanted to run back behind the tree and leave, but his eyes were locked on hers and she felt as if she were trapped in place. 

 

    “Rey?” He called out. 

 

    Poe Dameron, of course it had to be him, the one person in the entire galaxy that could make her feel embarrassed under his gaze had to be swimming in the lake and would see that she had no idea what she was doing. 

 

    “Uh, hi.” Rey answered back cautiously. She brought her arms in to cross over her chest, hoping to hide at least some part of her though being left in only her breast band and underwear didn’t leave much to the imagination. 

 

    “I didn’t know you swam.” Poe answered back, a smile on his face, and Rey couldn’t help but appreciate that he was keeping his eyes on her eyes instead of doing what most men would do and enjoy the sight of a half naked woman standing in front of them. “Come on in, the water’s warm.” 

 

    “O-Ok.” Rey hated herself for sounding so unsure, she was never like that, even when she didn’t know what she was doing, but Poe had a tendency to bring that awkwardness out in her whenever he was around, no matter how brief of a time it may be. 

 

    Rey cautiously stepped into the water, slowly making her way deeper and deeper until she was up to her waist in the lake, too afraid to step any further feeling the ground beneath her dropping off just inches from where she stood. 

 

    “What’s wrong?” Poe questioned once he noticed her freeze. 

 

    She considered lying, saying she just remembered that she had some training session with Luke and running off. Instead she let out a sigh, lowered her gaze, and tried to get through admitting it as quickly as possible. 

 

    “I don’t know how to swim.” Rey mumbled. “I was coming out here to try and teach myself but...I didn’t think anybody would be here.” 

 

    “That’d be kinda dangerous, don’t you think?” Poe questioned, but he was sincere, he wasn’t poking fun at her or anything like that, the way he looked at her told her that he actually cared about her safety and well being. “Trying to swim with no one around might not be a good idea. I could teach you if you like.” 

 

    “You’d really do that?” Rey asked hopefully. 

 

    “Of course, I’ve been swimming since I was a kid, my dad used to take me to this lake back on Yavin 4 that looked more like an ocean it stretched out for so long.” Poe assured her with a grin. 

 

    He swam over to her effortlessly, stopping just a few feet in front of her and holding his hands out. 

 

    “Come on, I’ve got you.” He promised. 

 

    Rey inched closer and closer to the edge, slipping just at the ledge and letting out a surprised yelp. Poe’s hands wrapped around her waist immediately, holding her still and letting her know that she was safe. 

 

    “You’re okay.” Poe said, though his face was etched with worry for a brief moment before his smile returned. “Let’s just stay here for a minute, it’s close to the ledge.” His hands moved to let her go, but Rey reached out automatically, fear in her eyes, to keep him where he was. “Alright, I won’t let go.” His smile was warm and reassuring, letting Rey calm down just a bit. 

 

    He held her until she was calm, her eyes no longer frantically looking everywhere around her for a way out and her heartbeat steady. 

 

    “I’m gonna let go now, okay.” Poe said. “When I let go, you’re just gonna kick your legs a bit to keep you up, I’m right here, I’m not going to let you drown.” 

 

    “Okay.” Rey nodded, she felt her fear spike up again as his hands left her waist, but she did as he said and even started moving her hands a bit feeling too unsteady, yet surprised that she was staying afloat. 

 

    “See, you’re getting it already.” Poe’s smile had returned, bright and bold and causing Rey to blush just a bit again. “You wanna try paddling?” 

 

    Rey didn’t know how long Poe had been helping her practice for, but he never broke his promise of staying more than a few feet away from her to let her learn. It must have been an hour or so, Rey beginning to feel just a bit tired, when Poe swam up to her and held her waist again, this time a bit closer to her than he had been earlier, his smile softer, and his gaze occasionally wandering to her lips though he quickly corrected himself. 

 

    “Alright, I’m gonna swim over to the other side of the lake, think you can make it to me over there?” He asked, gesturing towards the other end. 

 

    It wasn’t that long of a swim, Rey had hiked for longer through the sand before, but it seemed like an endless stretch in her mind, telling her she’d have to swim that whole distance without Poe in arm’s reach. 

 

    “I’ll try.” Rey replied, trying to keep her voice from being shaky as he let go of her and swam his distance to the other side. 

 

    Once he was there and gestured for her to swim over, Rey took a deep breath and began swimming towards him. She tried to focus on keeping her legs and arms in motion, to not think about the depths of the lake and to think about Poe’s smile instead. Before she knew it, his arms slipped around her and pulled her close, right up against his own body, and Rey was beaming, even laughing, feeling so accomplished

 

    “You did it!” Poe cheered her on, his grin wide and excitement lighting up his eyes.  

 

    “Thanks to you.” She praised him, his smile contagious.

 

    “You did all the hard work, I was just helping you out.” Poe smirked. 

 

    Rey didn’t know what made her lean forward and close the distance between them, their lips interlocking for just a soft and sweet kiss. She also didn’t know what made Poe kiss her back, his hands on her holding her just a bit tighter rather than pushing her away as she had expected. She’d almost forgotten how to breathe for just a moment before they parted, both desperate to get air back in their lungs. 

 

    “Sorry, I-” 

 

    She was cut off by Poe initiating the second kiss this time, less ravenous and more gentle and sweet as he waited for her to kiss back for continuing on. When they pulled away this time, Rey felt something warm bubbling up inside of her, a heat spreading across every inch of her skin when he looked at her the way he did - like she was the only star in the entire galaxy. 

 

    “Don’t be, I should have done that sooner either way.” He replied softly, something in his voice making her want to kiss him more. “We should probably get out of the water.” 

 

    “Yeah, it’d probably be best.” Rey replied, holding back a grin. “We should probably head back to the base too.” 

 

    “I was thinking we could take the long way back, walk around for a bit and enjoy the quiet while it lasts.” Poe suggested. 

  
    “That sounds even better.” Rey grinned. 


End file.
